History
Kutchan Station opened on 1904-10-15 as an intermediate stop on the private Hokkaido Railway between Utashutsu (now Neppu) and Kozawa, with a locomotive depot established alongside it. The line was nationalised on 1907-07-01, and the route was renamed the Hakodate Main Line on 1909-10-12. The Iburi Line branched from Kutchan from 1919 until its abolition on 1986-11-01, when one of the three platform tracks was lifted. Operations passed to JR Hokkaido on 1987-04-01. New platforms and a temporary connecting passage entered service on 2021-10-31 to make room for the Hokkaido Shinkansen station planned to open in 2031.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-18.
Notes
When the Hokkaido Shinkansen extension to Sapporo opens (planned 2031), the parallel Hakodate Main Line between Oshamambe and Otaru is scheduled for abolition, leaving Kutchan served only by Shinkansen trains.